2 of 2

"The school system is something that belongs to all of us," Lockwood says. "What happens here in our schools is going to affect the entire community. It's like putting … poison in a water supply."

First Educators' Alliance member Kathy Simmons has two children, Kenny, 16, and Caitlyn, 12, in Novato's public school system. "I feel it's very important to balance the other side, so that those who can't afford to take their kids out have friends with the same beliefs and morals. It's important so that we don't lose what morality there is."

For others, however, the time for debate is over. Lynn Majors directs a homeschool group in Clovis, near Fresno. She says an additional 40 or 50 families have contacted her in the past few months about joining. "They're tired of hassling with the school system," Majors says. "I had one lady tell me, 'I pretty much do what Dobson says.' People are very influenced by him."

After retiring from the Air Force, Lawree and Scott MacDonald moved to Antioch, California, from England with their three children in 1997. Their daughter, Lisa, 12, struggled academically and did not seem to be improving. Lawree and Scott, who are Christians, also became increasingly concerned about what the schools were teaching about sexuality.

"Not being prudish by any standard, we felt this was an invasion of our rights and continued to speak out against the instruction," Lawree MacDonald told CT.

A few days after September 11, the MacDonalds finally pulled Lisa, now 16, out of the local public high school. They began to homeschool her and have been pleased with her academic progress. Lawree MacDonald says the home environment is "safer both morally and socially."

"We believe our children should be prepared for the type of world they will have to live in," she says. "But in no circumstance should they be required to adjust what God says to fit what others believe."

The homeschooling movement is growing between 11 percent and 40 percent annually, according to various estimates. The Fraser Institute reports that there may be 1.7 million homeschooled students, or 3.4 percent of the school-age population. Philip Troutt of the Christian Home Educators Association of California estimates there are 125,000 private homeschooling families in the state. Troutt says the association, with 5,000 paid memberships, is growing by about 5 percent annually.

Private schools are another option for concerned parents. The Association of Christian Schools International reports modest growth in the number of students enrolled in member schools, from 714,000 in 2001 to 724,000 this year. (The number enrolled in ACSI's Northern California branch fell from 60,000 to 55,000, primarily because of the economy.)

In Orange County, California, K-12 enrollment at private schools for 2001 jumped to 60,051, a 15 percent increase from the 1996 school year. Statewide, 648,500 students were at private schools, according to the California Department of Education. William Walner of the Southern California office of the Association of Christian Schools International, which has 530 member schools in the region, says the number of enrolled students has grown by 2 to 5 percent annually for the last several years.

Fritz says it's too early to assess the long-term effect of Dobson's comments, which were confined to school systems that support homosexual orientation. Dobson has not endorsed the alliance's position of ending all government aid to education. More Christian parents may be tempted to follow in the footsteps of those California families who are saying goodbye to public schools. Paul Hetrick, Focus vice president, says public education is "going in a problematic direction that is damaging to children."

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Focus on the Family radio broadcasts July 8 (audio) and July 9 (audio), Dobson reiterated a call on his March 28 program for parents to pull their children out of public schools in some states.

The Alliance for the Separation of School and State petition is available at the official site. Also see the Exodus Mandate official site.

For more articles on schools and schooling, see our Education archive.

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

August 5 2002, Vol. 46, No. 9